We visited Baguio last April 2014 and for the longest time this famous destination has not been part of our itinerary. But not anymore!

Allow me to share some of our views and experiences about this unique place from the eyes of a first-timer. But first, who is BenCab? Benedicto Reyes Cabrera is BenCab, a national artist and a master of contemporary Philippine art. The BenCab Museum is a project of the BenCab Art Foundation, a non-stock organization that supports activities related to arts and environment.

Our EcoTrail adventure started at around 10:30 in the morning with Kuya Greg as our guide. It was almost an hour of nature tripping and some learning about the Ifugaos – their lives, houses, and some of their traditions. You will be crossing two hanging bridges and some series of stairs/steps. And the best part here is the finale, their waterfalls. We are lucky that there are no current tours or big group of tourists that day so we enjoyed our ecotrail tour absolutely.

We took some rest at Café Sabel while having our lunch. Their restaurant is big enough to accommodate some numbers of visitors. You have to take orders and pay at the counter with menus listed on the board. We ordered Duck Flakes and Bencab’s Chicken Paprika and it was “sulit”. We also tried their Bencab’s brew and their strawberry shakes. Yum! Yum! Yum!

It was almost 1 in the afternoon when we started museum tour on our own. This time we opted not to be on their scheduled guided tour. BenCab museum offers different types and kinds of arts. You will definitely love each gallery that they have. Bencab Gallery, Cordillera Gallery, Phil. Contemporary Art Gallery 1 and 2, Maestro Gallery, Print Gallery, Erotica Gallery, Gallery Indigo, Sepia Gallery, Patio Salvador, Larawan Hall, Bulol Installation, Graffiti Wall, and E. Coseteng Patio are the walls and halls to consider to complete your BenCab experience. They also feature exhibitions of different artists and during our visit “Disneytopia” by Guerrero Habulan is currently displayed from October 15 to December 4, 2016. If you want some souvenirs you can buy some items at their shop near the entrance/exit door.

“Sabel” is a major subject that recurs through BenCab’s works through the decades, inspired by a real-life scavenger, he photographed and sketched in 1965, the Sabel image has become the artists vehicle for the transmission of intensely emotional moods. When pushed to the limits of abstraction, the Sabel image serves as a fertile ground for the investigation of shape and structure. – www.bencabmuseum.org

BenCab Museum is open every Tuesdays to Sundays at 9am to 6pm (with last entry at 5:30pm) and closed on Mondays, Christmas Day and New Year’s Day. The museum has a general admission of P120, P100 for students with ID, and P80 for seniors and PWD with ID. Same rate goes with their EcoTrail tour plus P100 tour guide fee. The place can be reached via cab/taxi from Burnham Park for 15 to 20 minutes or you can take Asin road-bound jeepneys with terminal at Kayang street at Baguio City Public Market.